Shoemaking



Aug. 7, 1945. B. F. LEE

SHOEMAKING Filed Feb. ,22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6W ifr Filed Feb. 22. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. ,7, 1945 Bernard -F. Lee, Framingham, Mass., assignor to Jacob Sandler, Brookline,Mass.

ApplicationFebruary 22, 19M, Serial N0. 523,406

This invention relates to shoemaking and consists in .a novel-process of making moccasin .type shoes; Itincludes Within its scope the shoe herein shown as produced by the practiceof my novel method; -a'nd'--also-a composite blank which contributes substantiallyto the convenience and economy-of the process. i

Moccasin type shoes have many advantages, particularly for infants and youngchildr'en, being roomy-for-the foot and soft in all areas of .con-

tact. Heretofore, however, :they have been at a disadvantage in respect to manufacturing cost and-production rate, principally because ofthe skill and time required fitting together and stitching the contiguous edges of the upper .and z the plug. It has beenthe practice totrim the marginal edge of )the .forepart .after the lasting operation ancl under thesecircumstances the operator mustwremove .a variable amount of waste in order-to fit the previously located plug. 'Ilhis step :has required extreme accuracy as well as ski-ll andjudgment acquired only by long *practice.

. I have discovered a novel-shoemaking process by which I am able entirely to-eliminate this slow and troublesome operation and accordingly to speed up the production of moccasin type shoes'and obviate, or at least substantially reduce, the necessity of .skill and experience in carrying out the process. For example, I .am able to eliminate fitting .and trimming .the upperon the last'and to ubstitute stitchingin :a straight needle machine I onflat blanks .for the more complicated stitching operations -heretofore considered necessary in manufacturing thistype-of shoe. I

I Iozthis end the process of my invention is-characterized by providing a flat composite blank including a sole-shaped area; a marginal forepart, and side portions, all shaped to 'constitutein the finished'shoe the :sole'and upper complete except for the 'plug. The composite 'blank is trimmed in .fiat condition to present a bevelededge about its marginal forepart, 'and the plug is similarly trimmed and beveled to-eXact and final size .so

that the'edges of the upper and plug :maybe brought together and stitched without any fitting operation whatever upon the last. ,rlT-referably :and as herein 's'ho-wn, I perforate the beveled edges of the upper and plug in registering relation and thu :p'ositively insure the exact and accurate registration of the parts of the shoe which is so important in manufacturing high grade shoes; The novel composite blank above described constitutes an important feature of my invention.

13 Claims; .(Cl. 12-442) In another aspect my invention comprises a shoe of the moccasin type having-a single integral piece of leather including in its area the sole of the shoe and the entireupper except the plug. Preferably .and as herein shown, this blank may be closed at the back seam and then a sole is superposed upon the sole-shaped area of the blank and attached thereto, an operation which may be conveniently carried out with the assistancelof a straight needle machine. Y. The ,plug is then tacked to the last and the composite upper properly assembled so that the beveled edges of the two blanks arebrought together without fitting throughout the forepart of the shoe.

These and other features andcharacteristics of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the shoe selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings which illustrate .also the process of my invention. In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a :plan View of the-composite blank, showing its forepart margin partially trimmed;

Fig.2 is-a similar view of the plug blank;

Fig. 3 is a plan view from beneath ofthe .composite blank .assembledwith-a sole;

Fig. 4 is *a plan view showing the plug and composite blank assembled-.011 .a last; and

Fig. 5 is a View in perspective of the partially completed shoes on the last.

The first step of my novel process consists in providing a. composite blankof the general character illustrated in. Fig. 1. This may be effected by dieing the blank from aiski-n of upper leather using a die equipped with "marking devices and perforating punches, or the blank may be produced by the usual methods of hand cutting and marking. The blank comprises .an interior-soleshaped area 10 which is defined in the blank by lines or creases. The blank merges outwardly from this area into two similar side portions l2 which are shaped to constitute in the finished shoe the counter portion and quarters, The blank also merges into a marginal forepart area 13 which is in effect a segment shaped band and is formed with a small waste strip M. This is removed .by skiving the edge of the flat blank .so as to 'form -a beveled edge .15. A small sector 16 is cut out from'the shank of'the sole-shaped area.

The edges of this are subsequentlystitched :to-

gether and thus the shank portion of the blank is narrowed. A series of stitch perforations I1 is also formed along the beveled edge of the forepart marginal portion l3. All of the operations of preparing the composite blank are carried out of the composite blank.

The rear end of the composite blank is now closed by a back seam and provided with a stay strip 18 in the usual manner. Eyelets l9 may then be inserted along the outer edges of the counter portions of the blank. Then, as suggested in Fig. 3, a stiff sole blank is superposed upon the sole-shaped area of the composite blank and attached thereto in any desired manner as,

for example, bystitching in a straight needle machine. While the forepart of the blank has been closed prior to the sole attaching operation, the blank is substantially flat throughout its soleshaped area.

Thetrimmed and bevel edged plug 20 may now be secured temporarily by tacks to the forepart of a last of suitable size, care being taken that the plug lies straight upon the last and that its beveled edge 22 is accurately located thereon.

The composite blank is now assembled upon the plug-carrying last, the back seam being carefully located, and the marginal forepart I3 being drawn upwardly, shaped to the forepart of the last 30 and secured temporarily in position by tacks as suggested in Fig. 4. In that figure a tack is shown as being placed in the forward corner of each counter portion of the shoe and at one point near the toe thereof, but these tacks may be located at any convenient place and inserted or removed as the stitching operation progresses.

The shoe is completed by bringing together the beveled edge l5 of the marginal forepart of the upper and the beveled edge 22 of the plug and stitching these edges together, preferably using the perforations H in the forepart and the per forations' 23 in the plug. As suggested in Fig. 5, the stitching operation may be carried out by hand using two needles and so producing an ex ceptionally strong double thread stitch showing distinct impressions in the material of the upper .and so imparting an extremely attractive finish to the shoe.

It will be understood that the-compositeblank shown in Fig. 1 is laid out upon the basis of a series of carefully determined and related measurements that permit the assembling of the upper and facilitate the hand sewing operation to be accomplished without the skill formerly required. This is an important item from the standpointof commercial shoemaking and in practice it has been found that the operators output is increased ten times as compared to the output of processes requiring individual trimming and fitting preparatory to the sewing operation. Moreover, the process of my invention insures complete uni formity, not only betweenthe shoes of a pair, but between all the shoes of the same size, whereas by processes formerly employed the edge of the forepart is pulled up to a height varying in accordance with every slight difference in the leather being handled.

I have found in practicethat the measurement from the tip of the sole-shaped area it] to the edge l5 of the forepart margin is constant for all sizes of the same run, that is to say, for sizes from This is true also of the measurement from the corner of the blucher ear, comprising a part of the side portions, to the nearest point in the outline of the sole-shaped area I0. Another characteristic feature of the composite blank is that the spacing from the stitching perforation may be maintained uniform in all sizes of shoes, a single perforation being added in increasing from one size to the next. The composite blank permits a convenient amount of leeway in the length of the sole 25 with which it is combined. The sole is located upon the blank with its tip edge coinciding with the tip line of the sole-shaped area I0 and with any excess length projecting rearwardly beyond the end of the so1eshaped area indicated in Fig. 1. While in the finished shoe I prefer to have the relationshown in Fig. 3, any excessive length in'the sole is distributed merely as heel seat extension. The sole blank 25 is positioned and preferably cemented in the desired location and then permanently stitched in place. If stiffening is desired for the counter pocket, this may be provided before the last is inserted. The composite blank and the shoe in which it is employed are not claimed herein but constitute the subject matter of my divisional application Serial No. 576,556, filed February 7, 1945.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative method of putting it into practice, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of shoemaking which comprises the steps of providing a composite blank including therein a sole-shaped area with contiguous side and forepart marginal portions, sewing a sole to the composite blank while both are in fiat condition, closing the rear end of the blank, locating a plug in predetermined position on a last,, assembling the closed blank upon the plugcarrying last and stitching together the edges of the plug and the marginal portion of the composite blank.

2.4' Ihe process of shoemaking which comprises the steps of producing a composite blank of upper leather including, therein a sole-shaped area merging into a segmental forepart marginal portion, trimming and beveling the outer edge of said marginal portion while in flat condition, attaching a sole blank to the sole-shaped area of the blank by stitching in flat condition, assembling the composite blank on a last'carrying a beveled edge plug located in predetermined position thereon, and stitching the beveled edges of the plug and forepart marginal portion together without further trimming.

3. The process of shoemaking which comprises the steps of producing a composite blank having a sole-shaped interior area and an external marginal forepart portion with a beveled edge located at a predetermined distance from the toeend of said sole-shaped area, attaching a sole in registration with the sole-shaped area in flat condition, upturning said forepart portion about a last, and, without trimming, stitching its edge to a plug previously positioned on the last.

BERNARD F. LEE. 

